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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28638480">Checkmate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imatransbug/pseuds/Imatransbug'>Imatransbug</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:20:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>803</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28638480</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imatransbug/pseuds/Imatransbug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean's trans and Cas teaches him chess to distract him from shark week</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Checkmate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlannelGuy51/gifts">FlannelGuy51</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dean hated shark week. It was the dumbest fucking thing, and he didn’t see the point in bleeding from the most useless part of his body for an entire week. It tanked his mood every time, and he thought the only way to handle it was to isolate himself and stay away from everyone so that he wouldn’t say something that would inevitably make someone mad. Like a spark and tinder, the way to avoid a bad situation was to remove the cause. And in this case, the cause was himself. </p><p>The problem was that Cas didn’t get what he was trying to do. Three weeks out of every month, Dean was fine with casual touches or hugs or banter and teasing. But when shark week hit, everything felt like a trigger, and Cas couldn’t understand why his mood spiked or tanked. It was taking a toll on their friendship or relationship or whatever it was, and then Dean felt guilty and that made him mad. Everything made him mad. </p><p>But it made sense that Cas wasn’t someone to walk away from problems he didn’t understand, and one day, naturally the first full day of this current shark week, he didn’t let Dean push him away, and sat him down and confronted him. </p><p>“What is going on with you?” He asked. “There’s something wrong, and you’re not telling me. I thought we were friends. I thought we trusted each other.” Dean sighed. </p><p>“It’s not like that,” he said. He didn’t want to have this conversation. And he REALLY didn’t want to explain everything that Cas was asking him to explain right now. But Cas looked at him with an expression that bordered on hurt, and Dean resigned himself to the fact that he was about to have to come out. Again. And he was going to have to explain gender to a being who did not experience gender. And it was all just a major headache. If only Cas could just read his mind and know how it felt to be in the wrong body, and have that body betray him. And that no matter how much he passed. Or how well he portrayed himself as a man, there were always reminders like shark week hiding just around the corner. It was exhausting to be halfway between two bodies. But then he looked up at Cas, and the angel was looking at him with some kind of comprehension. As if Dean had just explained himself clearly and the angel understood it. “What?” </p><p>“You’re struggling with the way your body chooses to remind you that you’re not physically what you want to be.” In that matter of fact tone Cas used when he was sure and understood something, and it was only just then that Dean remembered that Cas was telepathic. Well that simplified things, but it still didn’t give him a way to fix anything or change anything for the better. Or stop shark week. But Cas was still looking at him, and now he was almost speculative. </p><p>“What?” Dean asked again. </p><p>“I remember going through this,” Cas said. “When I took a vessel for the first time. I was constrained in ways I’d never experienced before. It was quite an adjustment.” </p><p>“What did you do?” Dean asked. He’d never thought about it before, but maybe Cas could help. </p><p>“I played a lot of chess,” Cas said. Dean waited a beat because there had to be more. Or maybe that was some kind of metaphor. </p><p>“Chess.” He said doubtfully when Cas didn’t elaborate.</p><p>“Yes. It’s a game. It takes strategy and skill, and each piece has its own identity. It’s own role. Play a game with me, and you’ll see what I mean.” Cas produced the old chess set that hadn’t been touched in years, and set up the board. Dean watched him doubtfully. </p><p>“I suck at chess,” he said. </p><p>“It’s a game of strategy. You should be good at it,” Cas reminded him.</p><p>“I don’t know. My strategy is usually to go in and kick ass,” Dean said. But he pulled his chair closer to the table to play. Cas beat him in less than ten moves. “How are you so good at this?” He asked. Cas shrugged. </p><p>“I played a lot of chess. And you play with your heart on your sleeve. Think a few moves ahead, and learn how to use the smaller pieces to take down the big ones.” They played for almost an hour, and the last game, he almost won. It ended in a stalemate, but he thought he was starting to get it. And by the time Sam got back to the bunker with beers and food, he thought that maybe shark week wouldn’t be so bad, now that Cas understood him a little bit better.</p>
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